Rise Up
by thedanceshedoes
Summary: It was about time for Leanne to start feeling alive again. Ariel's adoption turned her world right side up and she could finally feel her heart beating once more.


**Title:** Rise up

 **Rating:** M

 **Author:** thedanceshedoes

 **Summary:** It was about time for Leanne to start feeling alive again. Ariel's adoption turned her world right side up and she could finally feel her heart beating once more.

 **A/N:** Hey guys! First time writing a fanfic about Code Black. This one is mostly Leanne and Ariel's relationship, but it surely will involve Jesse and Ethan. Hopefully you will enjoy it.

 **A/N 2:** Inspired by the song Rise Up – Andra Day. I even made a video that was supposed to be the fic's trailer, however I ended up posting it way before I got the chance to finish what I was writing. If you guys wanna check it out, it is: Leanne Rorish - Rise Up on youtube.

 **Rise up**

* * *

 _You're broken down and tired_

 _Of living life on a merry go round_

 _And you can't find the fighter_

 _But I see it in you so we gonna walk it out_

 _And move mountains_

 _We gonna walk it out_

 _And move mountains  
_

* * *

After four years without actually taking some time off for herself, Leanne decided to go on vacation, so she could straighten things up at her house and have some time to be a parent. It has been a couple weeks since the incident at the hospital, Ariel was now officially her daughter and all Leanne wanted was to spend some quality time with her kid.

The act of turning Caitlin's room into Ariel's room made Leanne feel alive again. Knowing that she had someone that would actually be waiting for her to come home was a big of a relief.

"Ariel! Come on, you have to come down for breakfast!" - Leanne was shouting those words moving upstairs to grab Ariel's covers and take her out of bed for the fifth time this week.

"Five minutes, please!" - a barely awaken Ariel answered right in the time Leanne reached her bedroom's doorknob.

"I already gave you fifteen extra minutes in bed today, let's go!" - she grabbed Ariel's cover and gave her a forehead kiss. "Please, I really need to run some errands today or we might go out of food this weekend."

"Okay, but you need to promise me that you are going to rent a movie for us today. Anything you want to watch. You are on vacation and I have been nothing but a burden to you lately." - Ariel was getting out of bed and changing her pajamas to her school's uniform, which, by the way, she didn't actually like that much, but she agreed she would go to that school, because Leanne wanted her to.

Leanne came closer, put her both hands on Ariel's cheeks, cupping her face, gave her a forehead kiss again and, still holding her face between her hands, said: "Ariel, how many times will I have to tell you that you are not a burden to me? You are my daughter now. I want you to be here, I want to do things with and for you. I want you to be a part of my life. When you came to my ER first time, my heart was aching. I should have said I wanted to take care of you right away, so you wouldn't have gone through what you have gone through. But I was too afraid to do so. I was afraid that, by doing that, I would be replacing the people I love. It took me a virus outbreak and a near death experience to realize that Jesse and Ethan were right. That I was dead. That my body was asking me to live, that I needed to feel alive. That I needed someone to be home for me when I came back from my shifts. And you know what? This someone has been you since the day I first met you." - Tears were streaming down Leanne's cheek, Ariel managed to dry it with her thumbs.

"Heeey! No more tears, you promised me, remember?" - Ariel started to pack her books into her backpack. "Are you taking me to school or not?"

They went downstairs for a quick breakfast before they could actually start their days.

* * *

 _And I'll rise up_

 _I'll rise like the day_

 _I'll rise up_

 _I'll rise unafraid_

 _I'll rise up_

 _And I'll do it a thousand times again_

 _And I'll rise up_

 _High like the waves_

 _I'll rise up_

 _In spite of the ache_

 _I'll rise up_

 _And I'll do it a thousand times again_

 _For you  
_

* * *

"Daddy! What the hell are you doing here?" - Jesse shouted from the registration counter.

Leanne approached asking for Jesse's hug. "Can you just shut up and hug me, please? I came to take you for lunch. I owe you an apology." - She grabbed the nurse's arm and led him to the hospital's entrance . "Doctor Savetti, let the others know that Jesse is going out for lunch with me." - Leanne sighted Mario taking a patient out of the Ambulance.

"You got it, Doctor Rorish! Nice seeing you." - said Mario.

Leanne walked with Jesse for two blocks until they reached an Italian restaurant she liked. She opened the door for him saying "You first, Mama".

They were sitting at the table, looking through the menu, no words spoken, until Leanne started talking: "So, I brought you here because you were right. You are always right".

Jesse frowned. He dropped the Menu at the table and stared at Leanne, interested in what she was going to say. "What are you actually talking about, Leanne?"

Leanne took Jesse's hands over the table so she could hold it while she talked to him. "You know me better than anyone. You knew I was dead inside, you knew I needed a reason to keep myself alive. You know that I know you are my family. _Mi família._ And I just brought you here today because I want to tell you that I am alive again. I know I usually don't talk this much about my life, but I really need to thank you for keeping me alive all this time. You were my breathing machine, Jesse. You have seen me in my worse and now I just want to thank you, because you are about to see me in my best. I am feeling my heart beat again, Jesse." - she was about to cry when Jesse sign here to just swallow her tears.

"Daddy, you don't need to thank me, okay? I was just doing my job, my friend job. Can we just talk about something else? Just tell me how Ariel is doing?"

Leanne had that usual "in love and amazed" smile "Oh, Jesse. She has been amazing. She worries about me, you know? That stubborn teenager you met on the lock down day doesn't exist anymore. She asked me to rent a movie for us today, can you imagine. I don't even know what teenagers watch these days anymore. It's just, I didn't forget my kids, you know? And I am not replacing the. I just, I needed to live again, as you said. And Ariel was my way of doing it, you know?"

"Leanne, dear. No one thinks you are replacing your family. Everybody in the hospital thinks you are amazing for giving this kid a good life. We know how much you are going to love her, we can see it in your eyes. She is lucky, Leanne. And you are lucky that the Universe sent you this chance." - Jesse held her hands really tight, giving her a reassuring look.


End file.
